What do you have on?

Do you ever read Scripture and put your own name in it? One day, I read 2 Kings 25:29-30 (AMPC) and jumped for joy. Put your name in and see if it thrills you.

“(Lynn) put off (her) prison garments, and (she) dined regularly at the king’s table the remainder of (her) life, and (her) allowance, a continual one, was given (her) by the king, every day a portion, for the rest of (her) life.”

Hallelujah! Did that excite you? I hope so.

But…what are prison garments?

What do you have on?

In the Old Testament, King David “supplied Jehoiachin with new clothes to replace his prison garb and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. So the Babylonian king gave him a regular food allowance as long as he lived. This continued until the day of his death.” (Jer. 52:33-34 NLT)

In the New Testament, Jesus released Lazarus from his prison of death and his grave clothes. You know the story. Lazarus became ill and died. Jesus received the message of Lazarus’ death and waited before traveling to see him.

After Lazarus’ sister Martha told Jesus that, after four days, Lazarus stinketh, Jesus said, and here comes my life’s verse, “Did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40 AMPC)

I’m sure Lazarus waddled out in his grave clothes. Then, Jesus commanded, “Loose him, and let him go.” New life received!

And that’s what Jesus says to us. Here! Outside! Loose the dead things. Let them go. Receive new life. For that’s what Calvary did for us.

What do you have on?

We accept Christ; our lives begin to change. Then, life throws us a curve ball and we start ignoring God’s Word and doing things our own way. The honeymoon, so to speak, of salvation wears off.

Instead of living out our release from our tomb of sin and walking in the light of freedom, we tell Jesus, in essence, “No thanks. I’ll do it myself, my own way. I’ll live my life the way I want to.” And we rebind ourselves in our old grave clothes, putting ourselves back in the tomb of darkness and bondage to sin.

But at the same time, don’t we do the very thing to Jesus? On that first Easter morn, Jesus quietly slipped out of His grave clothes into His resurrection garment. And when we live without trusting Him, we wrap Him back up in His grave clothes and render Him tomb-bound.

What do you have on?

Do our lives speak of a tomb-bound Christ, as we wear the grave clothes of doubt, worry, depression, lack, or fear? Or do our lives speak of a risen Christ, as we wear the resurrection clothes of Easter’s gladness, faith, trust, love, deliverance, praise, and thanksgiving?

When we believe in the Lord and rely on Him, isn’t that when we see the glory of God?

And when we remove that prison garb, those tomb-smelling garments, we clothe ourselves in the Lord’s holiness, dining in the King’s presence for the rest of our lives, feasting on the Bread of Life.

Our freedom in Christ comes in removing those old tomb garments forever.

What do you have on?

Jesus says to each of us, “Put on your garment and follow me.” (Acts 12:8 NKJV)

I love John 11:43 in the original Greek Text. Before I share why I love it, let’s go back to the beginning of the story.

On the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, approximately two miles east of Jerusalem, and on the road to Jericho, sat the little town of Bethany, home of the family Jesus deeply loved…Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha.

When Lazarus became gravely ill, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

When Jesus heard that, He did not leave but stayed where He was for two more days.

Jesus told the disciples that Lazarus was dead and added, “For your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

When they neared Bethany, they learned that Lazarus had been buried four days before.

Martha heard that Jesus was on the outskirts of town and went out to meet Him. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha thought that Jesus meant Lazarus would rise again in the last day resurrection.

Explaining, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

She answered, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Martha then went to get Mary and said, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” Mary jumped up and ran to find Jesus. Finding Him, she fell down at His feet, weeping and said to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw the tears streaming down her face and heard the cries of the other mourners with her, He groaned in His spirit. (Groaned in Greek usually means to be angry or indignant, or to reprove severely, as violent agitation of mind. Here, He was deeply disturbed at seeing the sorrow of others.)

He was troubled, and when they took Him to Lazarus’ tomb, the depth of His sorrow became evident, for “Jesus wept.”

Jesus told some of the men to remove the stone from the entrance to the tomb. Martha said, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

Here is my favorite verse, my life’s verse, “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory of God?’” (v40 Amp)

As they rolled away the stone, Jesus lifted His eyes and prayed. (Now, we come to the verse I mentioned at the beginning.) Then, as most Bible versions say, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” He yelled out, as it says in the Greek, in a megas voice.

When you look up the Greek definitions, Jesus actually yelled, “Lazarus! Here! Outside!” Can’t you just see Jesus pointing His finger at the tomb and then at the ground, stomping His foot, and commanding in great resolution and power for Lazarus to come out and join Him?

However, what we fail to realize is that when Jesus stood before all the tombs that day, He had to yell, “Lazarus!” If He had not, every one of the bodies buried there would have come out with him!

So, out hobbled Lazarus, wrapped head to foot in his burial cloths. Jesus said to those around Him, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Jesus loves each one of us just as much as He loved Lazarus. He weeps that death separates us from Him without His salvation. He gives us a Lazarus-call, beckoning us to come out of our darkness into His Light, to remove our grave-clothes and be free, and to see the glory of God.

When we hear His call, do we stay in our darkened tomb, wrapped in our stinking death clothes, or do we shed them and come out to join the Light of Life? Do we see God glorified?

In the chilly dampness of the early morning hours, the woman gropes her way through the dark city streets of Jerusalem. Carrying only a small oil lamp to light her way, Mary Magdalene is joined by Joanna, Salome, and Mary, the mother of James. Leaving the city, they wend their way to the dew-moistened garden where Jesus had been buried.

Dressed in their mourning apparel and blurry-eyed from their tears of grief, they enter the garden of the tomb, carrying the spices to anoint Jesus’ body.

The first glints of sunlight peek over the horizon as they approach the tomb. The ground shakes violently as an angel appears and rolls back the large stone covering the tomb’s entrance. The angel says, “Do not be afraid; Jesus is not here. He is risen! Go and tell the others.”

Terrified, Mary Magdalene rushes to get Peter and John and returns with them to the tomb. With their hearts pounding in fear and lungs struggling for air, the men enter the tomb and frantically survey the surroundings until their eyes rest on the stone slab, where only the death cloths lay.

Seeing that the body of Jesus is not there, the disciples rush back to tell the others.

While the other women wait outside the tomb, Mary Magdalene stoops down to look inside. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she turns to leave and encounters a man, who asks, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

Assuming him to be the gardener, “‘Sir,’ she asks, ‘if you have taken Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will go and get Him.’” (John 20:15 NLT)

“Mary,” He whispers compassionately.

Recognizing a familiar voice, she gasps, “Rabboni!” and falls at His feet in worship.

I have been a Mary Magdalene. . .a follower of the Lord yet not being able to find Him. I wandered around for relentless hours, with stinging tears spilling down my cheeks, weeping in pain, sorrow, and loss. I searched the tomb of the world and found it emptied of dreams, hopes, and purposes.

My restoration came when I realized my Saviour had stood beside me all along, compassionately whispering my name. When I heard His loving voice, I fell at His feet in worship.

Have you ever been a Mary Magdalene? Do you weep over loss of dreams, hopes, or purposes? Pain, sorrow, or circumstance? Do you stand at the tomb, wearing the grave clothes of mourning, wondering where Jesus is?

Just as Mary Magdalene met Christ in an unexpected way, so your Easter experience comes to you in your hour of despair. Jesus will be there beside you to comfort you, compassionately whispering your name and asking, “Why do you weep? Whom do you seek?”

Jesus always brings you hope of resurrection as on that first Easter morn. He comes to lift you up, to wipe away your tears, to release you from your pain, to remove your grave clothes of fear and depression.

Jesus says to you, “Do not wear the grave-clothes stained with the tears of grief. Come into My garden of beauty and I will give you the robe of Easter’s resurrection gladness. Take My Hand and let Me lead you along the path to life everlasting. I gave My life that you might live eternally with Me.”

He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NKJV)

Do you believe this? Then, weep no more! Fall at His feet and worship Him!

May you know the power of Christ’s Resurrection Life in a deeper way this Easter season.

This is an inspirational video of celebration. I hope you’ll watch it.

Today’s post is part of the Christian Writers Blog Chain on the topic of redemption/resurrection. Check out and enjoy the other contributors’ posts in the left sidebar.

1LightforGod
At the Well
Christian Books for Women
CrossReads
Daily Signs of Hope
GEM Ministries
Grace and Faith 4 U
Granola Bar Devotionals
Inner Fulfillment
JournEzine
JOYful Home and Life
Lift Up Your Day
Living Better at 50+
Network of Christian Women Bloggers
Power to Change/TheLife.com/Truth Media
RachaelCarman.com
Sanctified Together
Take Root and Write
The Consilium
The M.O.M. Initiative
Weused2bu.com